Psychophysiological and MMPI personality assessment of headaches: an integrative approach

Multiple psychophysiological measures and personality assessment techniques were combined to facilitate the diagnosis of headache type and improve upon existing methodology. Twenty-four migraine, 24 chronic tension headache patients, and 24 normal age- and gender-matched controls were assessed with bilateral measures of frontalis and occipitalis EMG and blood volume pulse. All subjects completed the MMPI. Results suggest that headache subjects could be differentiated on baseline heart rates and MMPI scales 1,2,3, and 7. Only one physiological measure served as an index of psychological distress, suggesting issues of an interaction between psychophysiological and personality variables, as well as the chronicity of the headache.